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Former President Jimmy Carter to Lie in State in U.S. Capitol; World Leaders Pay Tribute to former President Carter; Andrew Young Reflects on Jimmy Carter's Legacy. Aired 5-6:00p ET

Aired December 30, 2024 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[17:00:00]

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN HOST: -- the last president to receive the honor was George H.W. Bush in 2018. It is an honor not limited to presidents. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the first woman to lie in state in 2020. Now, the man who appointed Ginsburg to the federal bench, President Jimmy Carter, will rest in the rotunda for likely thousands of Americans to walk past and pay their respects. His body arrives in Washington next week. The news continues with Wolf Blitzer in "The Situation Room."

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Happening now preparations are underway for the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter now set for January 9th. Stand by for new details on how Carter will be honored by President Biden just days before the Trump inauguration.

Also this hour, Jimmy Carter's legacy as a one-term president who spent the rest of his life in service to his country and to the world dedicated to human rights, humanitarian causes, and peacemaking.

Plus, what investigators are now learning about that deadly crash of a passenger plane in South Korea. Officials are confirming the pilot reported a bird strike shortly before the doomed emergency landing.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in "The Situation Room."

Tonight, the nation's capital is preparing to honor a unique figure in U.S. political history, the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter. Carter's death at the age of 100 has set the wheels in motion for a state funeral some 10 days from now. That will include a eulogy by President Biden. CNN's Rafael Romo is over at the Carter Center in Atlanta for us. But first, I want to go to our senior White House correspondent, Kayla Tausche. Kayla, lay out what we know so far about the funeral plans.

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we are just getting the official schedule for how some of these events will unfold in the coming days. We have learned that as President Carter is remembered across the country in the coming days, it will begin with a processional in southern Georgia this Saturday. Services at the Georgia State Capitol and the Carter Center, of course, his post- presidency diplomatic hub. Then he will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda here in Washington,

D.C. from January 7th to January 9th before that official state funeral here in Washington, D.C. on January 9th. Following that, Carter will return home to Plains, Georgia for a private internment.

President Joe Biden will be among those eulogizing former President Carter, the 39th President of the United States, in those services on January 9th. Of course, Biden ascended to the Senate just before Carter sought the presidency. He campaigned for then candidate Carter who was serving as Georgia's governor at the time, and the two developed a decades-long friendship.

They often spoke on the phone, and they would campaign and counsel each other over the course of those years. Just after taking office on his 100th day in office, President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited the Carters in Plains, Georgia, to thank their old friends. And after that visit, Biden told reporters at the time, it was great to see President Carter. He reminded me that I was the first person to endorse him outside of Georgia, and we sat and talked about the old days.

In October of this year, President Biden released a video commemorating President Carter's 100th birthday. At that time, he called him a moral force for our nation and the world and a beloved friend. And just this Sunday, after news of President Carter's death, Biden stepped away from his family vacation to deliver roughly 10 minutes of remarks talking about his friend and what he believed the legacy Carter will leave.

During those remarks, Biden said that he would be remembered for his simple decency as a humanitarian and a statesman. And certainly now, Wolf, we know that we will hear much more from President Biden himself when he delivers that eulogy next week.

BLITZER: Yes, we will. Kayla, stand by as we bring in CNN's Rafael Romo. He's over at the Carter Center in Atlanta. Rafael, the memorial there has been growing all day, I take it, with people stopping by to pay their respects. What does it look like now?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. It's been a steady flow of people here at the Carter Center. Some people stop and bring flowers, others light candles. But let me step out of the way and show you what it looks like right now, live from Atlanta here at the Carter Center. You can see the flowers there. And something that caught my attention, Wolf, is that someone earlier left a jar of peanuts, of course, in honor of the memory of the peanut farmer who rose to become the 39th president of the United States.

Earlier I spoke with the mother who came together as a family with her three young sons, age eight, seven and five.

[17:05:02]

And she told us that what she wanted to do was to talk to her sons about the memory of Jimmy Carter and wanted to tell them exactly the kind of man he was. Let's take a listen to what she told us. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COURTNEY FITZ, ATLANTA RESIDENT: His universal kindness, the humanity and President Carter cannot be denied or understated ever. And that's something that as a mom, we're always trying to teach our young men and he exemplified it every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And I've been talking to people here all day long. Wolf, I spoke with a couple of brothers, teachers from Arizona, who were here originally to be at the Peach Bowl, and they said that as soon as they learned about the passing of the president, they wanted to come here, pay their respects.

Some of the words that we have heard to describe the late president, Wolf, dignity, humanity, a man of principle and dedication. Now back to you.

BLITZER: All right, Rafael Romo, thank you very much. Kayla Tausche, thanks to you as well. I want to get some more insight right now involving Jimmy Carter's funeral and legacy. Our historians and political experts are joining us. Tim Naftali, you're a historian, let me start with you. Jimmy Carter served just four years, one term, in the Oval Office. But what are some of the ways his impact on the presidency can still be very much felt today?

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, Wolf, first of all, he -- with the assistance of Walter Mondale, upgraded and changed the role of the vice president of the United States, making the vice president a major advisor on policy. Jimmy Carter also started the process of important deregulation of our economy. It's often assumed that Ronald Reagan, his successor, started that process, but in fact Jimmy Carter did it.

Now, why did Jimmy Carter do it? Because Jimmy Carter was a small businessman, and he understood that at times federal regulations and sometimes state regulations undermined his ability to engage in efficient business. And so once he reached Washington, he worked with allies in Congress, not just Democrats, Republicans too, to deregulate the trucking industry, the aviation industry, the telecom industry, and ultimately the energy industry.

And finally, Jimmy Carter. changed his mind about the nature of the Soviet threat. He didn't change it when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. He actually began to rethink his assumptions before. And as a result, he supported defense procurement, including the acceleration of the stealth technology that had already been worked on in the Ford administration. So to some extent, the foundations for the Reagan defense buildup started under Jimmy Carter.

And finally, Jimmy Carter, based on his religious faith, based on the fact that he had served in the U.S. military during World War II, and of course was a Cold War president, he deeply wanted to find peaceful solutions to difficult international problems. And through his role in brokering the Egypt-Israeli Camp David Accord, he proved that peace was possible even in the Cold War.

BLITZER: Yep, he certainly did. The Johns Hopkins University historian, Leah Wright Rigueur with us as well. Leah, thanks very much for joining us. President Carter and President Biden faced some similar challenges during their times in office, from inflation to American hostages being held abroad. What stands out to you about that?

LEAH WRIGHT RIGUEUR, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST & HISTORIAN: So I think there are a couple of things that stand out to me about that. They are both one term presidents. But they both came in initially saying that their goal was not to think about extending or the next term in office, but instead to restore the soul of the nation.

In Carter's case, he specifically came at a point in time in the aftermath of Watergate, where the nation was still reeling from the possibility that a president could be corrupt but also could be engaged in all kinds of criminal activity and lack integrity and would lie to the American people. So one of the promises that somebody like Carter makes -- that he makes when he ascends upon the presidency is, I will not lie to the American people.

But the other thing is the American people are still reeling from the aftermath of the Vietnam War. And so one of his first acts that we see, and I think we see some of this that emerge both from Carter's faith but also a bit from Biden's faith, is the act of pardoning and commuting sentences of those who participated in different kinds of activities. In the case of Jimmy Carter, it's those who participated in protests and antiwar protests against the Vietnam War.

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So I think this is an important way of thinking about how, you know, they're doing these presidencies, how they're leading in the executive office amidst all of this turmoil, this confusion, these larger problems, inflation, stagflation, a recession, an oil crisis, a hostage crisis, a conflict in the Middle East that, you know, peace needs to be brokered.

But one of the things, the lasting things, too, that I'll leave here, the last thing I will say here too, is that when we look at the legacies, the domestic policy legacies of a person like Jimmy Carter, but also like of Joe Biden, I think time will show us that they contributed far more than we realized.

You know, as Tim mentioned, deregulation is an important part, and in many ways, Carter lays the groundwork for the deregulation of the rail industry, of the airline industry, of the communications industry. Carter is one of the reasons that we have affordable -- continue to have affordable airfare in 2024. And so there are all of these ways, I think, domestically, that Jimmy Carter contributes that derive both from his faith but of his belief that there is a way to be a good human being and be president of the United States.

BLITZER: Yeah, and a lot of people don't necessarily appreciate all those accomplishments that Jimmy Carter made. David Axelrod, President Biden likes to talk about being the first figure outside of Georgia to formally endorse Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign. I want play a bit of what President Biden said last night about why he did that. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: When I endorsed him for president, I told him why I was endorsing him. And that it was not only his policies, but his character, his decency, the honor he communicated to everyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So what do you make of that?

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think that there's a lot to that. He said something else, Wolf, that caught my attention. I'm going to try to (inaudible) it. Can you -- he ad lib this. Can you imagine Jimmy Carter walking by someone who needs something and just keep walking? Can you imagine Jimmy Carter referring to someone by the way they look or the way they talk? I can't. I can't.

And I think that was very true. Carter was a man of deep faith and principle that flowed from his faith. And that informed who he was as a person and who he was as a public figure, both as president and after his presidency. He centered human rights and civil rights in his policy and in his activities after. And in some ways, he traveled the world and he never passed by someone who needed help.

But I will say one thing, and it's interesting the scheduling of this state funeral which of course is totally appropriate, but it strikes me that one difference between Joe Biden and Jimmy Carter was, that Jimmy Carter spent four years in Washington, but Joe Biden spent half a century. Jimmy Carter was at the consummate outsider. Joe Biden is the consummate insider.

And there was never a real comfort between Carter and that town because he came with a promise to take on the conventional politics of that moment and to heal the country after Watergate and Vietnam. And that put him in conflict with a lot of the power brokers in Washington. He pushed ethics rules that existed for decades, including disclosing his own income taxes, Inspectors general independent of agencies to monitor what agencies with what we're doing.

He took on some of the sweetheart kind of deals in Washington and some of the projects that were wasteful, that were of particular interest of members of congress. He didn't have liquor at White House events, you know, the lubricant of Washington commerce and politics. So, in many ways he left Washington as an outsider and he returns to Washington for this final time as an outsider as he is by all of humanity, but still someone who kept faith with his promise to take on some of the worst elements of our government.

BLITZER: So is Carter's legacy, if you will, David, more solidified right now? AXELROD: Well, I think Carter's legacy is so much brought -- I think

people are learning more as our two historians have told us about the enormous contributions he made. We didn't even talk about the Camp David Accords which still stands as one of the great diplomatic achievements of that period of Middle East diplomacy, but -- so we're learning more about that.

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But I think he's established something much larger which was his leadership in the world to take on that to fight for democracy, to fight for human rights, to take on public health crises around the world and so much more.

This man lived a full life, a full century of service, and that has distinguished him as you said at the beginning from anyone else who served in that office.

BLITZER: Yes indeed. Your thoughts, Tim.

NAFTALI: I think that in looking at his complete career, you will now balance the study of his post-presidency, which has been the focal point of most positive discussion of Jimmy Carter in the last decades, with a reappraisal of his presidency. That's not to say his presidency was perfect. David has hinted at the fact that Jimmy Carter was not a typical politician. One could even argue he was an anti-politician. He didn't like to schmooze.

In many ways, he couldn't be more different from Joe Biden in the sense that the way they approach the question of building a governing coalition, at least when Joe Biden was in the Senate. Nevertheless, despite not being a politician's politician, Jimmy Carter and his team were able to develop and achieve a remarkable legislative legacy. And its that legislative legacy that I think has been overlooked in these decades since Jimmy Carter was president and with time, as Leah explained, will be more fully appreciated.

BLITZER: Good point there, guys. Thank you very, very much.

Coming up, more on Jimmy Carter's legacy and on the world stage, specifically as well as on civil rights. The man he chose to be the first black U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Andrew Young, is standing by live.

And later, early clues about the possible cause of that deadly plane crash in South Korea now that the black boxes have been recovered.

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BLITZER: President Jimmy Carter is being honored by leaders and organizations, indeed, around the world as a peacemaker, a human rights champion, and a humanitarian. His death comes at a time of urgent global challenges for the incoming Trump administration. Joining us now on the phone, the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Andrew Young, appointed by President Carter as the first African American to hold that post.

He also served as mayor of Atlanta and was an early leader of the Civil Rights move in. Ambassador, thank you so much for joining us. What do you see as the major lessons that can be learned from President Carter's successes and failures on the global stage during his presidency?

ANDREW YOUNG, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS (via telephone): Well, one of the things I see that I haven't heard much about yet is that how Jimmy Carter's religious connections affected his foreign policy. That he had an open ear to the Judeo-Christian tradition. Almost anywhere he found people who were reading the Bible or who were true to their faith.

He had made friends through the years with missionaries who had lived overseas in Europe, in Africa, Latin America, Asia, all of their lives. And I was sort of the one that was the link between that group because I grew up in the United Church of Christ and was educated in Hartford Theological Seminary where most of the people there were going abroad as missionaries.

And so my classmates, when I came to Georgia in 1954, they went to the Middle East in 1954. They went to Southern Africa in 1954. They were scattered all over the world. And they had a view of the world that was more religious and more humanistic that Carter was open to. He didn't give in to it, but it meant that he had two points of view that were pretty much opposite about almost any issue.

And I would run into this wherever I went. I would see the intelligence reports that would be the result of the intelligence good intelligence work by people who basically were paid for their intelligence. And then I would also hear from people in the same position, the same countries who grew up in the church and were closer to the people and had planned to live there as missionaries.

And so it kept -- I think the best illustration of that was probably with Panama Canal. President Carter was very much aware that the influence that Castro would have in Panama. And he asked me one day, did I know Castro? And I said, no, I've never been to Cuba. I said, that's one trouble I've stayed out of. And he said, well, do you know anybody who knows him? I said, yeah, I know plenty of people who know him well.

And he said, see if you can talk to them about how we can neutralize Castro and keep him from saying anything about Panama. If he says something favorable about the Panama Canal Treaty, it might lose us some votes in the Senate. If he was critical of it, it would lose us votes with the Communist Party in Panama.

[17:25:00]

And so I met with a number of people, Michael Manley in Jamaica, Lopez Portillo in Mexico, Oduber in Costa Rica. There were about five or six, Carlos Andres Perez. And they all had personal relationships with Castro over long periods of time and they were willing to talk to him. And I think one of the reasons the Panama Canal Treaty passed so easily was we have never, ever heard a word about -- from Castro about Panama.

BLITZER: Yeah, I think that's an important point.

YOUNG: And Castro quieted down.

BLITZER: And your point about Carter's religious faith, inspiring him and moving him on so many issues, certainly important. I observed that over the years, many times when he was involved in very sensitive issues, like the Middle East, for example, bringing together Anwar Sadat, Menachem Begin at the Camp David Summit for a peace treaty, bringing these two leaders together. I think it was partially -- he was partially motivated by his deep religious faith, wanted to bring peace to the Holy Land if you will. Andrew Young as usual --

YOUNG: But he was also --

BLITZER: -- thank you very much for your service. Go ahead.

YOUNG: No, they were also serious students of the Bible. Begin and Anwar Sadat. They had a biblical view of that region.

BLITZER: Yeah.

YOUNG: And Carter was comfortable with that. And he played to that religious emphasis. And his bringing the picture of Begin (inaudible) with his children, grandchildren, and presenting him with a signed picture, gave him the message that either we settle this Camp David thing now or you're passing it on to your grandchildren.

BLITZER: Yeah. good point.

YOUNG: And that was, I think, the straw that broke the camel's back and made possible the treaty.

BLITZER: The former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Andrew Young --

YOUNG: But his relationship with the Africans --

BLITZER: Yeah. Good point. We got to wrap it up, Mr. Ambassador, but we'll continue this conversation. Up next, the grieving South Korean families want answers right now after a major plane crash. What we know about the fatal crash landing that killed 179 people.

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WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: We're getting new details on South Korea's deadliest air disaster in decades. A team of U.S. federal investigators is headed to the crash site to help officials on the ground there try to figure out what caused a Boeing 737 to crash land at an airport and burst into flames, killing 179 people. Two crew members sitting near the tail of the plane survived. CNN's Mike Valerio brings us the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE VALERIO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the unmistakable outcry of grief heard throughout South Korea's Muan International Airport. Families unable to absorb the anguish of the Jeju air catastrophe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language).

VALERIO (voice-over): Hundreds of relatives huddling in the departure hall waiting for news of whether their loved one's remains are found. A friend of a couple killed in the crash said he came here to confirm for himself that his friends of 30 years are simply gone.

I have nothing to say, but it's tragic, he told us. I watched the news all day and for now they say bird strike could be the cause. I'm so shocked and hurt, I cannot even put it into words.

VALERIO: Now, so many people have chosen to stay. They're not going anywhere. And that's seen evidenced by all of these tents that go from here pretty much to the end of the terminal. They go back three tenths to the edge of the check in counters. You see food deliveries throughout the day. Let's keep going this way. And the echoes of grief.

VALERIO (voice-over): The scenes inside are just a short drive from the cataclysmic crash site. The tale of the doomed airliner still jutting above the field, a mountain in the middle of the debris. More than 1,000 people now mobilized to sift through pieces of the plane.

VALERIO: The crash scene is absolutely harrowing. Just a few steps away, you can see where the doomed Jeju Air jetliner careened through the embankment and burst into flames. And more than a day later, you can still see forensics teams in their white suits combing through the debris along with members of the police force as well as members of the South Korean military.

Now, to my right, you can see soldiers looking through the fields and around them to give you an idea of the force of this crash, a full football field away from where we're standing, you can see mangled, twisted chairs thrown from the jetliner.

VALERIO (voice-over): A representative of the victims' families urging an even larger response.

PARK HAN-SHIN, REPRESENTATIVE OF JEJU AIR CRASH VICTIMS' FAMILIES (through translator): What I want to request from the government is to increase the manpower so that the recovery can be carried out more swiftly. I hope my siblings, my family can be recovered and returned to us, even if only 80 percent intact.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIO (on camera): So, Wolf, we're going to zoom in and talk about why this investigation matters to everybody watching at home and so many flyers around the world. You can see the tail section behind this ambulance looming 15 yards above the crash site. Investigators, Wolf, are trying to figure out if this was a problem specific to this unique plane, the specific circumstances of the day, or could there have been a series of events related to a possible bird strike that led to a catastrophic chain reaction that affected the lifeblood of this plane, the hydraulic system, the mechanics of the plane. That is what investigators are contending with as they arrive from the United States beginning their work here on New Year's Eve in South Korea, Wolf?

[17:35:11]

BLITZER: Yes, it was a Boeing 737. Let's not forget that. Mike Valerio on the scene for us. Mike, thank you very much.

Just ahead, how a legendary southern rock group helped Jimmy Carter win the White House. I'll talk to the sons of two founding members of the Allman Brothers Band.

Plus, President-elect Trump endorses Mike Johnson's re-election bid as House Speaker. But will that stave off a potential revolt by some disgruntled Republican lawmakers?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It was the Allman Brothers helped put me in the White House by raising money when I didn't have any money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Jimmy Carter reflecting on the role the Allman Brothers Band played in supporting his winning 1976 presidential campaign. The Southern rock group was one of the most popular bands in the 1970s. As we remember President Carter, we're joined by the sons of two founding members of the Allman Brothers, Devon Allman, son of Greg Allman, and Duane Betts, the son of Dickey Betts. Both of you, thanks very much for joining us. Devon, your dad and Jimmy Carter bonded over their love of rock and roll. Tell us a little bit about that relationship.

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DEVON ALLMAN, SON OF GREG ALLMAN, "THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND": They did. Yes. I -- I remember hearing stories where my dad and -- and he would drink scotch all night listening to -- to blues vinyl records. They had a definite connection over music.

BLITZER: Duane, talk a little bit about your family's connection to President Carter, because I understand he was a big part of your parents first date, is that right?

DUANE BETTS, SON OF DICKEY BETTS, "THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND": Yes, that's correct. Yes, my -- my mom and dad's first date was, my father invited my mom to a concert they were doing in -- in Georgia, in Macon, I believe. And it was for president -- for then Governor Carter. And that was their first date. So, yes, it's really interesting stuff.

BLITZER: Very special indeed. Devon, what about Jimmy Carter made your father want to endorse him for president?

ALLMAN: Well, I think at the time, you know, like -- like post-Vietnam and all that, I -- I think that the, you know, the hippie movement and a lot of the -- the people that were in that kind of counterculture were -- were looking for somebody that was, you know, geared more towards humanity and -- and a little less towards, you know, war and -- and corporation interests.

And, you know, I think that the. Jimmy was really kind of a, you know, just one of the guys to them. And I think -- I think it kind of made him a little bit hip, you know, to -- to the younger voters.

BLITZER: Yes, good point. Duane, I know you first met President Carter when you were just 13 years old at Game 5 of the 1991 World Series in Atlanta. What do you remember about that moment?

BETTS: Yes. We were, you know, I was a -- I was a huge Braves fan growing up. And -- and my dad got us tickets to Game 5 and were over on the third base side. And President Carter was sitting up about five rows in the section next to us. And I -- we knew he was there, but my dad waited until about midway through the game and went up and -- and said his hellos, and -- and then he came back and got me and -- and introduced me to him. And I'll never forget that -- that, you know, that whole occasion was just kind of one of those memories etched in -- in your mind forever.

BLITZER: Yes. I'm sure it was.

BETTS: I think another thing to add that was really important was the civil rights movement because, you know, Georgia, the governor before, you know, Lester Maddox was a notorious segregationalist. And I think the band and -- and my father, I know, was really appalled by that. And when Carter came in, it was like this, you know, a breath of fresh air finally, you know, to have a Southern politician who was just for the, like Devon was saying, for -- for humanity and for equal rights for all.

And I think that was really what -- what resonated with them and what made them really connect to -- to him and that he was just one of the guys, like Devon was saying.

BLITZER: Yes, and Jimmy Carter loved rock and roll, as we know, and he -- he loved the Atlanta Braves as well. All right, guys, thank you very, very much.

Coming up, Donald Trump is backing Mike Johnson to remain the speaker of the House. It's a major boost for Johnson, but is it enough to sway some frustrated House Republicans to save the speaker's job?

[17:44:09] And Donald Trump is siding with Elon Musk over visas for high tech workers, upsetting some of his most loyal MAGA supporters. What a visa feud means for the incoming Trump administration, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Today, President-elect Donald Trump is urging House Republicans not to, quote, blow this great opportunity. His words in his endorsement of Mike Johnson's re-election bid for speaker of the House just ahead of Friday's critical vote. Let's discuss all of this with CNN's Kristen Holmes. She's doing some late minute reporting on what's going on. How much of a big deal is this Trump endorsement, Kristen, for Johnson?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's still somewhat of a big deal even though we are hearing House members say that despite this endorsement, they are not going to vote for Mike Johnson or that doesn't push them over the end when -- edge when it comes to Mike Johnson. But what we had seen in the last several weeks was Mike Johnson kind of twisting in the wind essentially Donald Trump had weeks ago told Johnson behind closed doors, told people around him that of course he was going to support Johnson. But everything changed with that funding bill.

We saw John -- we saw Trump and Elon Musk tank the CR that Johnson had worked behind the scenes on for weeks, trying to get that across the finish line. And then it came a big question mark, whether or not Trump was actually going to get behind Johnson. He was asked by multiple reporters what he was going to do when it came to Johnson's speakership. He said he's going to see what happens with the funding bill.

[17:50:10]

Now, one thing that did happen, we saw Elon Musk and reading through the tea leaves here, posting on X that the speaker did a good job despite the circumstances. Obviously, given Musk's relationship with Trump, that gave us some indication of where Trump was. But Trump had not said anything publicly until now.

And here's what he posted. He said, Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hardworking, religious man. He will do the right thing and we will continue to win. Mike has my complete and total endorsement MAGA. So one thing is clear, this is a good thing for Speaker Johnson, but that doesn't necessarily dictate the outcome. Particularly as I said, we've already seen some of these House members say that they adore President Trump, that they want to work with President Trump, but that that's not going to change their opinion on Johnson.

BLITZER: Interesting. All right, thanks very much. A quick follow question, Kristen, before I let you go. Trump is siding with Elon Musk on the sensitive issue of H-1B visas, an issue that is clearly dividing his MAGA supporters. Today, Steve Bannon weighed in, escalating the feud. Talk a little bit about that.

HOLMES: Yes, it has really gotten to be a deep divide here and it shows you how difficult immigration is going to be one of the top issues for Donald Trump and Republicans as he takes office in January. Now, here's what Donald Trump said to "The New York Post" when it came to this back and forth over these immigration visas. He said, I've always liked the visa. I have always been in favor of the visas. That's why we have them. I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I'm a -- I've been a believer in H-1B.

Now, Elon Musk is also a believer in H-1B visas. These are these visas for high tech, educated, skilled workers that much of Silicon Valley relies on. A lot of the people around Elon Musk, David Sacks, for example, another person who Donald Trump is close to, they are all in support of this. But Donald Trump's hardliners on immigration like Steve Bannon, they are not. So it was interesting to see how this plays out. But I would pretty much put money on the fact that I don't think this is the last time we're going to hear about this, Wolf.

BLITZER: I suspect you're actually right. Kristen Holmes, thank you very, very much.

I want to turn now to CNN senior political commentator, Scott Jennings, for his analysis. Here's Republican Congressman Tim Burchett, who is undecided on the speaker vote earlier today on "Fox." Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): I'll make up my mind Friday or so when we do the votes. I'll pray about it. I'll talk to the speaker some. I might talk to the President. President Trump is very compelling, though. As I've said earlier, he's the largest dog in the pound.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So what do you think, Scott? Will this Trump endorsement put him over the top?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I hope so, because the longer Republicans engage in this infighting, the longer it's going to be until we get started on Donald Trump's agenda. I think that's why Donald Trump came out, Mike Johnson, so strongly. He wants Republicans to set all of this infighting aside and get focused on passing bills. I think he'd love to sign some bills into law right after he takes the oath office on January 20th. So if you spend all this time or days fighting over the speaker, you leave less time for getting started on his agenda. So I think it's going to be important.

BLITZER: Do you think, Scott, the Republican Party can survive another major speaker's battle like what happened to McCarthy last year?

JENNINGS: I mean, the -- the party can survive it. It's just why do we -- why do we need to think about having to survive something when we have an obvious option here? Mike Johnson has done a good job. Look, anytime the numbers are this close, it's going to be a very difficult job. And -- and there are things that aren't going to go smoothly every single time. And we just have to accept that. Johnson has done a good job. The President trusts him. The President won the election and a lot of Republicans won because of Donald Trump and the agenda he put forward. So what Donald Trump is saying is give me a speaker that I trust and that I can work with so we can begin to pass my agenda. That ought to be a good enough reason for any member of the -- of the House Republican Conference.

We've got a very closely divided House. The only way to move anything forward here is to have teamwork to stick together. Republicans need to start that process with the Speaker's vote.

BLITZER: I want to turn to the very sensitive issue of the H-1B visa debate within MAGA world. Scott, Trump now says H-1B visas are great, but here's MAGA loyalist Steve Bannon. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE BANNON, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE STRATEGIST: The program from top to bottom is a scam and a con. There is nothing in this program that should continue to exist, nothing. The workers are here on this should be deported as soon as the 15 million that we're going to start deporting on the afternoon of the 20th of January. Deport them now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So do you think, Scott, this issue has the potential to create a lasting rift within Trump's MAGA base?

JENNINGS: I hope not. And I would just simply say, whose name was on the ballot? Donald Trump's. And he's made his position very clear on this. And that's OK, because we're going to have some legal immigration. We're going to have some people come into the country that have unique skills. That's fine. I think Donald Trump thinks it's fine.

[17:55:00]

What we aren't going to have are people pouring over the southern border, people coming in, you know, over this porous border for, you know, nefarious purposes. That's all going to stop. And we are going to have mass deportations of people who shouldn't be here. That can also happen. But that shouldn't preclude the Republican Party from embracing the idea of bringing in highly talented individuals who can do unique things for our country.

I think these two worldviews can coexist. And more importantly, Donald Trump thinks they can coexist. And that's the position he's laid out.

BLITZER: That's certainly the position he's laid out, indeed. All right, Scott Jennings, thank you very, very much.

Coming up, more reaction to the death of Jimmy Carter, details on his funeral and reflections on his legacy as the White House is now on the brink of a huge transition.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Happening now, we're learning more about the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter. The official schedule of events was just released as politicians and the American people prepare to pay their respects.

[18:00:05]

Also this hour, one of President Carter's final interviews. He spoke --